News from the HMS Board of Trustees
Dear Hudson Montessori Community,
Last Thursday evening held our annual “State of the School” address led by the HMS Board of Trustees and our Head of School, Matt Virgil. It marked the fourth year in a row that we have held the presentation online, rather than in person. And it appears to be a successful option for so many as we had a sizable audience in attendance. This letter serves the purpose of touching on highlights from that presentation, including the strategic plan/master campus efforts, the financial state of the school, general remarks from Matt Virgil, and reminders of events yet to come for our community.
Our Board president, Erin Matson provided a welcome for the evening and reminder of our school mission:
The mission of Hudson Montessori School is to foster a Montessori educational environment conducive to each child’s unique qualities and abilities for the development of social, emotional and reasoning skills that are essential for a lifetime of independent, creative thinking and learning in the world community.
Regarding the HMS Strategic Plan, the board had recently revisited and confirmed our strategic priorities during a day-long retreat approximately 18 months ago. These strategic imperatives consist of sustaining program excellence, investing in passionate and effective faculty, broadening the HMS impact, and ensuring financial sustainability (more information about HMS’ Strategic Plan can be found HERE). In light of those priorities, and with the growing acknowledgement that an opportunity exists for our buildings and spaces to support HMS in achieving its mission and accommodate future growth, the decision was made to embark on a process to assess our current needs and plan for future growth. An encompassing Campus Master Plan, completed in a thoughtful and purposeful way, will affirm our community values and assure the school’s success over the next several decades.
Rick Parker, a licensed architect (and Montessori Dad!) from Brandstetter-Carroll, was chosen to lead this Campus Master Plan process. Over the last 10 months, Rick’s involvement was secured, a Working Committee was formed, and a number of Visioning sessions with our HMS community were held. Several iterations of a master plan will be provided by Rick and his colleagues by late spring. Final decisions about priorities of new spaces and renovations will come soon after. Stay tuned to this process as there will be ways to help support this process.
Lauren MacLaren, our HMS Board Treasurer, presented information about our school’s current financial status, including the school’s financial goals and the ongoing efforts to ensure financial sustainability. Siobhan Martin, HMS’ Director of Finance, provided the specifics of the school’s revenue and expenses. For instance, over 65% of the school’s expenses are directly related to personnel, aiming to secure and maintain our incredibly excellent faculty and staff, who make our school so special. Finally, insight was provided about the process of determining next year’s tuition rates for families, including the analysis that was conducted of other independent schools’ tuition costs.
Our Head of School, Matt Virgil, offered remarks on a number of topics, including the process of ISACS’ (Independent Schools Association of the Central States) re-accreditation of HMS. Last year’s self-study had us looking at our strengths and areas of improvement, leading us to this year, wherein the ISACS committee offered their report and feedback to the school and ultimately, in recent days, confirmed that HMS has secured re-accreditation status.
One notable piece of feedback from the ISACS team suggested improvement towards ‘vertical’ continuity through the age levels and Matt spoke to the specific efforts to strive for that continuity. Changes have included monthly meetings offering opportunities to look for gaps and/or overlaps in academic endeavors, as well as planning occasions for faculty to visit other classrooms and observe so as to gain better understanding of this continuity work.
Matt spoke to the historical growth that HMS is currently experiencing and made mention of the deliberate and thoughtful decision to begin accepting Ed Choice Expansion Scholarships in 24/25 school year. This decision will be re-visited every year. More information about Ed Choice can be found HERE.
As suggested in the strategic plan, both the Board and HMS administration place a strong emphasis on investing in quality faculty and this year the school will send one teacher in each division to the American Montessori Society Conference in March. Additionally, a number of faculty have been supported in gaining additional continuing education and several teachers are receiving Montessori certification by way of HMS sponsorship.
Finally, reminders were given about the ability for families to participate in the SGO opportunity (see more information about how your money can act as an Ohio state tax credit and go directly, dollar-for-dollar, to Hudson Montessori School HERE). And don’t forget about the annual fundraiser “Derby After Dark” held at the Hilton Garden Inn on March 16. Your attendance and/or purchase of auction items will provide a fun and memorable experience, while supporting our special school!
This summary provided some highlights of our annual State of the School address from last week, but if you care to watch a recording of that presentation, it can be found HERE.
As always, the HMS Board of Trustees is looking forward to the exciting work ahead and continuously grateful for the support of all within our community.
The Hudson Montessori School Board of Trustees
Erin Matson ‘89, President
Jennifer Ray-Tomasek, Vice President
Lauren MacLaren, Treasurer
Karl Vaden, Secretary
Kuo Chih Hua
Jay Reidy
Susan Riffle
Sadia Saleem
Michelle Smith
Dara Steinberg
Kara Sygula
Miles VanBlarcum '10
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